More Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters

From KidsOutAndAbout.com readers

Maggie McHugh, MS, RD, CDN is a local Registered Dietitian and co-founder of Eating for You (and baby too), Inc., who writes for us regularly about nutrition and kids. In response to her article 10 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters, KOA readers are sending in their own additional suggestions. We invite yours, too! They needn't be as elaborate as Amy's, below, but any ideas, large or small, with help other parents struggling with this issue. So please email us your own strategies and we'll put them up on this page. Thanks!

From Amy: We started giving our food choices creative, kid-friendly names. It worked wonders on our 5-year-old. He now loves Jay Jay burgers and Boots bites.

• Jay Jay burgers - chicken tenders coated in breading and fried
  
• Boots Bites - chicken breasts cooked in Italian dressing
  
• Spiderman Stew - ground beef, rice and corn casserole
  
• Tico's Tacos - regular tacos
  
• Diego Stirfry - chicken ginger stir fry

It worked so well, my son is now more willing to try new foods. We also introduced chop sticks to our 5-year-old and 3-year-old. The first time we had Diego Stirfry, my son turned his nose up at it and pushed his plate away. He noticed the chop sticks that my husband had at his plate and asked what they were. He wanted to try them, he ate his full plate and then asked for two more helpings eating them all with his new chop sticks. We never laughed so hard at dinner time. It was fun watching the two of them discover the chop sticks and how to use them. They both do better than I do, I still opt for the fork!

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If you have a suggestion for a creative way to help the picky-eating syndrome, please email it to us.